Course Descriptions

Course Descriptions

TIS 684 InternshipThis internship requires 60 hours of shadowing, observing, gathering data and interpreting/translation work in a professional interpreting, translation, educational or healthcare setting, depending on the student’s chosen track.

TIS 731 Applied Interpreting Studies

This course explores connections between research and practical issues in studies of interpreting (simultaneous, consecutive, bilateral and other modalities). Its focus is on the interdisciplinary nature of the interpreting field and, based on case studies, examines the interface between interpreting as a profession, research in interpreting studies and the teaching of interpreting. Students are required to complete a research project.

TIS 732 Methodology of Teaching Interpreting

This course addresses syllabus design and lesson planning for teachers of interpreting in a field-specific context. It focuses on the development of interpreting skills, including recent technological developments. It explores classroom management options and strategies for providing feedback to students and covers internship design methods, including an on-site observation of various interpreting settings. Overall program design and methodology for teaching other courses in the interpreting curriculum will be also discussed.

TIS 733 Applied Translation Studies

This course examines the theory and practice of translation from a variety of linguistic and cultural angles. It introduces key concepts such as relevance, equivalence, skopos, back-translation, and explores critical approaches depending on the translated text types.

TIS 734 U.S. Heritage Speakers and Bilingualism

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the fields of heritage languages, bilingualism, and bilingual education from a cross-disciplinary perspective. It covers a wide variety of topics, including, among others, individual and societal conceptions of heritage and dominant languages, general bilingual educational issues, bilingualism and multilingualism as they relate to identity, political and ideological issues, Spanish in the U.S.

TIS 735 Discourse Organization and Interpreting

This course will explore the links between social situations, interlocutors, and the functional aspects of communicative events. The course will focus on several important methodological approaches that have been developed to do discourse analysis in as much as they highlight important features of translation and interpreting. We will review the varied traditions around meaning-making, including sociolinguistics, conversation analysis, critical discourse analysis, and discursive psychology. Readings will tie in traditional topics in discourse analysis with specific issues in translation and interpreting. This course will link theory to practice. One session per week will be devoted to practical, hands-on activities using real world data in various formats: written transcripts, aural speeches, or videos.

TIS 785 Applied Research Project

The applied research project will establish a rigorous connection between the practical experience in the workplace and the more theoretical experience in research and in the classroom.

The applied research project will be divided in two components: during the fall semester (2 credit hours) students will learn about general research methodology and receive individual guidance to choose between the research project options. During the spring semester (2 credit hours) students will complete the research project under supervision of a project director.

COM 650 Intercultural Communication

This course explores the communicative process that occurs when two or more people from different national cultures interact with each other (on a face to face basis). Students will learn to understand the variables that affect the success or failure of an intercultural interaction and to enhance competence in communicating with people from different cultures. This course develops an appreciation for other cultures and your native culture, enhances mutual understanding and harmony between people from different cultures and teaches students to understand what is similar and what is different about communication in various cultures. Students develop critical grounds for recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of cultures.

This course explores how and why language varies, with emphasis on the social context of speech. Students will learn survey methods for describing language variation, from traditional dialectology to modern discourse analysis. This course will evaluate the social, educational, and political implications of dialect variation, gender and ethnic differences, and other social variables in language differences. Suggested prerequisite: Lin/Ant 150

LIN 640 Special Topics: Cross-Cultural Communication

In-depth examination of the role of intercultural communication in the shaping of the world order today. Through a historical and theoretical survey, as well as self-awareness tools, students will acquire insights and experience in the analysis and design of intercultural communication strategies with a global mindset at personal, corporate, national and international mass-media levels.

LIN 680 Language Use and Technology

The main objective of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to become familiar with the practical and theoretical issues concerned with creating and accessing large linguistic corpora (electronic collections of “real world” text) with computers for a host of applications; both academic and professional. We will discuss the advantages of approaching language through empirical data collected from real-world sources; in addition, we will highlight conceptual and practical aspects that pose challenges to creating robust, representative language samples. This course is designed to provide the student opportunities to discover new angles to their current academic or professional interests through the use of large-scale data sources and the power of computers.

LIN 683 Language Engineering Localization and Terminology

In this course students will gain a familiarity with the language industry and understand the factors involved in the localization process. In addition, students will be able to appreciate the advantages of using computer assisted tools during this process, but also recognize the limitations and disadvantages of this approach. Apart from tool usage, students will also be able to analyze the various steps in the localization of a product to determine the most appropriate process to achieve the highest quality possible. Finally, students’ translation and research skills will improve through the examination of available resources and the creation of translation resources.

MGT 1501 Organizational Behavior

Organizational behavior focuses on the understanding of employee behaviors and attitudes that ultimately contribute to organizational success or failure. The study of organizational behavior attempts to identify critical organizational factors that influence workers, the processes by which these factors exert their influence and ways of applying this knowledge within organizations. The course is based on principles of scientific inquiry and knowledge from the behavioral sciences. All managers have traditionally been held accountable for influencing their employees’ levels of job satisfaction, absenteeism, turnover and performance. The focus here is on understanding current managerial approaches, models and methods for influencing these critical outcomes. The course covers individual, group and organizational influences on organizational effectiveness.

SPA 624 Contrastive Spanish/English Grammar & Stylistics

Advanced study of structures and vocabulary, with an emphasis on common transfer mismatches in healthcare settings. Exploration of general principles behind ‘atom-like’ rules and the main lexical dichotomies, and how implications for meaning help in choosing the best option. Discussion of structures that are usually taught as idiomatic but are more compositional than previously thought: satellite-frame vs. verb frame constructions, datives, verb+particle, reflexive constructions, etc.

In this elective course, students will develop and refine a practical translation skill set within the scientific and medical domains. In addition, students will gain familiarity with textual conventions that govern source and target texts within these domains and deepen their understanding of both Spanish and English as language for special purposes. Apart from translation proper, students will also be able to analyze texts for register, style, tone and content to determine the most appropriate process to achieve the highest quality translation. Finally, students’ research skills will improve through the examination of available resources and the creation of domain-specific resources.

SPA 681 Spanish Translation

Spanish 681 develops advanced translating skills through practice with a strong emphasis in Spanish into English translating, primarily having in mind English speakers as a target public. Some back translation exercises will be offered.

SPA 682 Spanish-English Interpreting

Spanish/English Interpreting an introductory course to the art of oral translation. It develops basic strategies useful in community, conference, court, escort and other types of interpreting. Current employment opportunities in the field of interpreting will be also briefly presented. In class work will focus on learning and practicing interpreting techniques. Individual, at home, preparation – besides the assigned readings and interpreting exercises– will also include a strong terminology enhancement.

SPA 685 Spanish for Medical Professions

Study of terminology and sociocultural issues relevant to interlinguistic medical communication. Oral and written practice in the medical context.